Sweet Beginnings
by Melchy
Summary: The first Halloween at Gull Cottage is a learning time for everyone.


-The characters from the Ghost and Mrs. Muir belong to 20th Century Fox and David Gerber Productions. Thanks also goes to R.A. Dick who created the original characters. I only use them for my purposes, which doesn't include making any money.

Many thanks to Lori who told me about the candy graph and allowing me to use it when I couldn't stop thinking about it. And to Mara for proofing and telling me she liked it!

Sweet Beginnings.

Madam, may I ask what it is that the children are studying so assiduously?" Captain Gregg entered the main cabin of Gull Cottage, leaning against the desk, where Carolyn Muir sat with a pensive look on her face. "I can promise you it's not homework." she gave the spirit a lovely smile, then her expression turned to confused. "How many men would it take to lift a barrel of wine?"

"Cask," he corrected. "It is a cask of wine, a barrel of salt pork and a keg of beer. I'd say at least four, if it's large. Why?"

"I'm trying to take a different approach with this story and see if it helps any."

"Still having a bout of writer's block, my dear. I'm sorry if that's the case."

"I'm afraid it is." she shook her head. "Now, you were asking about the children."

"Yes, I was. Your two offspring are downstairs at the kitchen table with a huge chart and they keep pointing and laughing and saying things like; 'I miss Mrs. Underwood' and 'I wonder if the Levisons still give popcorn balls.'"

"Oh!" Carolyn's face lit up and for once she didn't look tired. "They found their candy graph! They were beginning to think they had left it in Philadelphia or it was thrown away accidentally. My father in law saw no reason for it." She frowned.

The personal comment threw him off guard but only for a moment. It was rare that Mrs. Muir said anything about her former life and although he was brimming with curiosity, he tried not to show it. After all there were things in his life he wouldn't want her to know. He couldn't think of any at the moment, but he was sure there were some.

"So if I may ask Madam, what exactly is a candy graph?"

"Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a graph of what kind of candy they received each year, how much, and by whom. It was their father's idea as a way to maybe slow down the inhalation of chocolate," and her eyes grew somewhat dreamy for a moment.

Again the personal mention surprised him and he had to bite his tongue to not say what he wanted to ask. But, it was the first time that Carolyn had even admitted there had been a Mr. Muir. Not that he would claim to have such thoughts, but more than once on a dark night while he looked out to sea on the widow's walk he did wonder if perhaps the whole widow thing was a cover up for children born out of wedlock. It surely had happened enough in his day. But he knew that that was ridiculous. Carolyn wasn't that kind. At least he was fairly sure she wasn't. And even if she was,t wouldn't change how he felt about her. 'You're getting off course again.' he scolded himself.

Carolyn pushed back from the desk and stretched her arms over her head.

"I think maybe I'll go check on them," she said. "I haven't seen the candy graph in a long time either." She headed for the door.

"Mrs. Muir, might I ask a question before you go?"

"Of course Captain, what is it?"

"Why are they so all-fire consumed about getting candy? They've talked about nothing else for days. Aren't the occasional sweets that you and

Martha bring home for them enough?"

"Tomorrow is Halloween." Carolyn looked up at him as though perhaps he had forgotten. It's all the kids have talked about for weeks.

"Yes, I know," he replied, but I still don't know what All Hallow's Eve and candy have to do with one another."

"I think I'm in for a story here." She crossed her arms and leaned against the door.

"A story?"

"Yes." She smiled at him sweetly. "What was your Halloween like Captain Gregg?"

"Oh," his eyes took on a far off look and his voice was low as he started to speak. "It was a magical time, nothing like the candy-laden fest your children seem to be talking about."

"You didn't go trick or treating?"

"Trick or treating?"

"Don't tell me you've been in this house all these years and you haven't caught on to the trick or treating. It's when kids dress up in costumes and go to houses asking for candy. When someone in the house answers the door, they say 'trick or treat'. It's a fun tradition."

"Ah, so that's what the rascals are up to who drudge up this hill every year trying to decide where to go next. I've seen some of their costumes and wondered what they might be about. In the last hundred years or so, Halloween has been about young adults trying to bet each other money by walking up on my front porch or trying the door knob. I've had quite a bit of fun scaring them off, I must say!" He rubbed his hand together in delight. "But to answer your question, we did not go trick or treating in that manner. Every October 31, we would carve a pumpkin and put a lighted candle in it. My pap didn't actually believe that spirits would come around if he didn't, but he knew I liked the light shining. through the carvings and he enjoyed making different faces on the pumpkins."

She gave him a tender smile and he knew that at that moment she was thinking what he had pondered earlier about the personal information. He didn't think he had ever told her anything about his past like that before and now he wondered why. Was it because they were getting so used to one another that they forgot that the other one didn't know? Vanessa had been here and shaking up the place seemed to have brought them closer together. At least he thought so.

"Then after it was very dark my pal Josh Coolidge would come up and we would blacken our faces and put on old clothes and grab a sack, a rope,several candles, and whatever else we might need. Then we would proceed to go around town and cause whatever good natured mischief we could get into."

"Such as?"

"We roped Old Man Shoemaker into his out- house one time." and he started to chuckle. "Another year we took one of Mrs. Coolidge's old dresses

and stuffed it full of hay and placed it in Mrs. Figg's maple tree. I can still see the look on the old bat's face when she opened her

window. I think they could hear her scream all the way to Keystone!"

"Why Captain Gregg, you were a naughty little boy." She wagged a finger at him, her expression telling him she was greatly enjoying this.

"I was a boy," he nodded. "Pure and simple. And on a night that we were allowed to cause a bit of havoc you can be assured we did."

"Did you soap people's windows and blow flour in their faces?"

"Madam, that is for amateurs. We were professionals through and through. Josh was very good at talking without moving his lips. So one night we rigged up a scarecrow and carried it over to the Abernathys. I knocked on the door and then took off running. When Mr. Abernathy came to the door, I was holding that scarecrow up by its pole and Josh started to make it 'talk'."

"What did he say?"

"He told the old man that he knew about his bottle of whiskey hidden in the barn and about how he hidden his wife's new hat so she wouldn't wear it and then he told him that some evil would fall upon him if he didn't start giving money to the church."

"Are you kidding me?" She had come back over to the bed by this time and sat down on the end. "What happened?"

"Well, the whiskey and the hat Josh had just made up, but apparently he had hit the nail right on the head. And everyone knew that the Abernathys were the stingiest people in town. Josh's father was the Methodist minister and they were supported by their congregation. Everyone in the church took turns having the family to supper once a week and helping out with some expenses except for the Abernathy's. After our prank, he gave every week faithfully. I'll tell you, those were the days."

"I like seeing this side of you, Captain Gregg." Carolyn smiled. "It, well, forgive me, it makes you more human."

"Well, that's because at one time, I was." His smile was warm, his eyes lingering on hers.

There was a moment of quiet embarrassment and then he started to bluster once more. "After we would finish our rampage we would either meet at his home or mine and we would drink hot cider and eat gingerbread and play in contests like bobbing for apples and relay races. I liked it when we had it at my house because Aunt Eliza would make huge plates of fried chicken and corn bread and Pap would make his famous mulled cider and we would gorge on all the good things.""So, in a lot of ways you did what they kids do now. Only now they go out and ask for candy and don't really trick anyone. They'd rather come home and eat all the candy."

"I guess it is pretty much the same thing when you look at it that way." He winked at her. "Well, I'm sorry my dear I didn't mean to keep you from the children. But you did ask for a story."

"I did and thank you. But I do think I will go down now and see what they've discovered about their past Halloweens."

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

"I'd like that very much. And so would Jonathan. I just wish Candy could see you."

"As do I. But I've done everything except jump on her head to try to get her to notice that I'm here. I guess she will see me when she's

ready."

Carolyn and the Captain entered the kitchen where the children still sat, their chart on the table between them. "Oh, Mrs. Steele's homemade pumpkin cake." she pointed to it on the chart. "That was the best stuff."

"It was alright." Jonathan shrugged. "But I would rather have had candy."

"I know. But if you remember, you would usually eat a big enough piece of it." Carolyn chucked him under the chin.

"And you would stay and eat a second helping while Candy and Daddy and I went off for more trick or treating."

"That's my favorite way to trick or treat," she said for the Captain's benefit. "A piece of cake and a cup of coffee."

"Hey, look Mom." Candy pointed to the chart. "The Sullivan's gave Milkways every year, but the last year we were there they gave little ones. I wonder what changed her mind?"

"Wasn't that the year that Mrs. Sullivan went on a diet?" Martha asked coming in from the service porch. "Your costume is ready Candy, when ever you are." She gave the girl her rock star outfit before heading back outdoors. Ed Peavy was going to pick her up for the dance in town and she didn't want to miss him.

"Thanks Martha." the girl called out. " Hey look, we got hundred pieces of candy last year but only eighty-seven the year before and three hundred fifty the year before that. I wonder what trick or treating will be like in Schooner Bay?"

"One way to find out," Carolyn told her. "Get on your costumes and let's go". Both kids got up from their seats, making more noise than a flock of sea gulls the Captain told Carolyn as they did so.

"They are really excited about their first Halloween in Schooner Bay.

I hope it's a good one for them."

"I don't think they will do better than 350 pieces of candy." He smiled, picking up the chart. It was very nicely constructed he saw. One side had the names of people they went to with regularity, what was given and how many. There was also a spot for others, that was just a lump sum of candy acquired. The other side was an actual graph of candy distribution each year, going back to 1962.

"This is quite a thing." The captain turned to face Carolyn, noticing for not the first time how lovely her eyes looked when she wore the color green.

"He loved statistics," she answered. "He was always making charts of things like how many times a month did we eat spaghetti or how many times did we go to a certain restaurant in a year. He wasn't trying to prove anything, he just loved how much fun it was. The candy graph I think was his best one."

They could hear the thunder of the children approaching and Carolyn started to get up. "Captain," she paused, then continued. "Would you like to go with us?"

"Trick or treating?" His eyes glowed with the prospect, but he shook his head. "I better not. It might be hard on the lass since she isn't aware of my existence."

"But maybe it would be a good time for her to see you." He could tell she really wanted him to come, but he just wasn't sure. "Maybe next year my dear."

"Alright." She gave him a smile. "I'm going to hold you to that." "We'll see.," he growled, then opened the kitchen door for her, waiting until she was on the other side before releasing it.

"Next year might be the ticket," he said out loud although not even Scruffy was nearby. And maybe by then he could work on the candy graph as well.

Next year!


End file.
